1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for dispensing fibers, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for dispensing resin coated or impregnated fibers or fiber bundles. The invention has specific application to the dental field and other fields where resin impregnated fibers or fiber bundles are needed or desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many fields of art in which fibers or fiber bundles impregnated with a resin or the like are needed or desired. The dental field is one such field.
In the dental field, procedures currently exist for using fibers, impregnated with a selectively curable resin, for various purposes such as the replacement of missing teeth and the splinting of mobile teeth without drilling, grinding or otherwise altering any of the abutment teeth. A procedure for replacing missing teeth involves preparation of the lingual surfaces of the abutment teeth, followed by application of an appropriate adhesive or bonding resin to these prepared surfaces. A plurality of reinforcing fibers or fiber bundles are then impregnated with a resin material. These resin impregnated fibers are laid across the gap from one abutment tooth to the other so that the fibers bridge or extend across this gap which will be filled by the artificial tooth or "pontic". The resin impregnated fibers are then appropriately activated or cured to secure the fibers to the supporting abutment teeth. A pontic or artificial tooth of desired shape and size is then prepared or selected and is secured to the fibers bridging the gap by an adhesive resin. After the resin has been cured by appropriate activation, the excess resin is trimmed from the pontic and surrounding teeth using finishing techniques which are common in the art.
With respect to the splinting of mobile teeth, teeth which have lost root support by peridontal disease processes which cause jaw bone resorption or bone height, move individually. If allowed to continue, tooth loss will result. By attaching the resin impregnated fibers from loose tooth to loose tooth, they are splinted together and function as a fixed, immovable unit. This is an efficient, time saving system which replaces existing techniques costing several times more. Further, with the fiber reinforced splint process described above, there is no need to cut or prepare the teeth.
One step in the above processes which is particularly important and which is often quite time consuming is the step of impregnating or saturating the fibers or fiber bundles with resin. This step commonly involves cutting a plurality of fiber bundles to the desired length, placing the fiber bundles, along with a measured amount of dispensed resin, onto a pallet or other substrate and then manually working the resin into the fiber bundles with a dental tool or the like until the fibers are fully impregnated with the resin. This is a relatively time consuming process because of the high viscosity of the resin material, the relatively limp and fine texture of the fibers and the need for the fibers to be fully impregnated. Insufficient impregnation will result in the existence of "dry" fibers. Dry fibers can act as a wick for bacteria or oral fluids which can lead to odor, decay and other future dental problems. Thus, it is extremely important to totally impregnate all the fibers with the resin so as to eliminate any dry fibers. However, despite this desired objective, it is often difficult to insure that all fibers have been fully impregnated. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for impregnating fibers or fiber bundles with resin or the like which is less time consuming, while at the same time insuring that all the fibers or fiber bundles are fully impregnated.